Confronting Gun Violence in America

President Barack Obama announces steps to reduce gun violence from the East Room of the White House, 2016. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

Headline: “Slain at Prayer.” © 2015 Newsday. All rights reserved. Used under license.

Scene outside the Jewish Community Center following a shooting in Leawood, KS, 2014. John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images.

Mourners gather for victims of the shooting in Chapel Hill, NC, 2015. © Corey Lowenstein/News Observer/ZUMAPRESS/Alamy.

Police respond to the Sikh Temple shooting in Oak Creek, WI, 2012. Scott Olson/Getty Images.

A couple mourns a family member after a shooting in Tucson, AZ, 2011. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

Exterior of the Century 16 theater after the movie theater shooting, Aurora, CO, 2012. Thomas Cooper/Getty Images.

Aerial footage of the Columbine High School shooting, Littleton, CO, 1999. Getty Images.

The Sandy Hook sign following the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, CT, 2012. Tim Clayton/Getty Images.

Police secure the scene after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Newtown, CT, 2012. Don Emmert/AFP via Getty Images.

Community members gather outside Newtown High School ahead of a vigil for victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Newtown, CT, 2012. Mark Makela/Getty Images.

Memorial messages displayed in a shop window after the mass shooting Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Newtown, CT, 2012. Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images.

A sign with “God Bless the Families,” sits in the front yard of a home following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Newtown, CT, 2012. Mark Makela/Getty Images.

President Barack Obama is briefed on the Sandy Hook shooting in the White House, 2012. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library. 

President Barack Obama embraces family members of Sandy Hook victims, Denver, CO, 2013. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

Aerial footage of Sandy Hook Elementary School following the school shooting, Newtown, CT, 2023. NBC News/Getty Images.

Dashcam and scene-processing footage from Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting investigation, 2012. Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection.

NBC journalists Brian Williams reports from the parking lot at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, CT, 2012. NBC News/Getty Images.

News coverage of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, including police response and aerial views, Newtown, CT, 2012. NBC News/Getty Images.

Families grieve near Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, CT, 2012. REUTERS/Adrees Latif.

Families of the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting call for reform at the White House, 2013. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library. 

Audio from President Barack Obama reflecting on the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in an interview with Oprah Winfrey, 2020. “THE OPRAH CONVERSATION” Footage Courtesy of Harpo, Inc.

President Barack Obama prepares remarks ahead of a vigil for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, Newtown, CT, 2012. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama holds in a room of Newtown High School in Newtown, CT, 2012. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama attends an interfaith vigil in Newtown, CT, 2012. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama meets with families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims, 2012. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama waits in the Green Room of the White House, prior to announcing steps that the administration is taking to reduce gun violence, 2016. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama, with Vice President Joe Biden and Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, talks with stakeholders in the Blue Room of the White House, prior to announcing steps that the administration is taking to reduce gun violence, 2016. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

Mark Barden speaks at the White House following the Senate block on gun legislation, April 17, 2013. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

Senator Joe Manchin meets with Sandy Hook families to discuss gun legislation, Washington, D.C., 2013. Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call/Getty Images.

President Barack Obama observes a moment of silence for Sandy Hook victims in the Oval Office of the White House, 2012. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama delivers remarks after the Senate blocks gun control measures, April 17, 2013. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

Nicole Hockley speaks at a Sandy Hook Promise press conference, 2013. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu.

Mark Barden speaks at a gun violence prevention event, Washington, D.C., 2023. Win McNamee/Getty Images.

Mark Barden embraces his daughter Natalie as they perform during a March for our Lives Rally at Fairfield Hills Campus, in Newtown, CT, 2018. Kena Betancur/AFP via Getty Images.

U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy stand with Mark Barden of Newtown, CT, as he holds a photograph of his son Daniel. Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images.

Mark Barden holds up a picture of his son Daniel who was killed in the Sandy Hook massacre during a vigil for victims of a mass shooting in Las Vegas, 2017. Spencer Platt/Getty Images.

Mark and Jackie Barden hug their 11-year-old daughter, Natalie, before she goes to school, 2013. Linda Davidson/The Washington Post/Getty Images.

A young girl wearing angel wings arrives for a vigil at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, CT, 2012. Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images.

A man prays in front of a memorial near Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, 2012. MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images.

The Fifth Annual Brooklyn Bridge March for Gun Sense, New York City, NY, 2017. Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images.

Protesters gather at city hall during the March for Our Lives protest against gun violence in Portland, OR, , 2022. Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images.

Hundreds of people wear orange and march across Brooklyn Bridge in recognition of National Gun Violence Awareness Day, New York City, NY, 2023. Selcuk Acar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images.

Images of Hadiya Pendleton. Courtesy of Cleopatra Cowley.

Reporting on the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton, 2013. Courtesy of ABCNEWS VIDEOSOURCE.

CNN reporting on the death of Hadiya Pendleton, 2013. Courtesy CNN.

Interview with Cleopatra Cowley and footage of the Pendleton family photo album. The Obama Foundation.

Journalist Athena Jones reports on the funeral of Hadiya Pendleton, 2013. Courtesy CNN.

First Lady Michelle Obama attends Hadiya Pendleton’s funeral in Chicago, 2013. Courtesy CNN. 

First Lady Michelle Obama speaks about gun violence at Harper High School, Chicago, IL, 2013. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

First Lady Michelle Obama, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Valerie Jarrett, and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel attend Hadiya Pendleton funeral services at Greater Harvest Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, IL , 2013. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

Street, mural and neighborhood footage, 2024. Chicago CRED.

First Lady Michelle Obama visits Harper High School in the Englewood neighborhood to talk with students about the plague of violence in their area, Chicago, IL, 2013. Nancy Stone-Pool/Getty Images.

President Barack Obama meets with students and community leaders to discuss violence prevention, Chicago, IL, 2013. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Obama talks about reducing gun violence, fatherhood at Hyde Park Academy, Chicago, IL, 2013. C-SPAN.

Funeral of Jonylah Watkins in Chicago, IL, 2013. AP Photo/Paul Beaty.

Chicago community footage highlighting anti-violence efforts, 2024. Chicago CRED.

Community initiatives and youth programs addressing gun violence in Chicago, 2024. Chicago CRED.

“My Brother’s Keeper” initiative remarks and anniversary reflections. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library and The Obama Foundation.

LaVonte Stewart and Lost Boyz Inc. youth mentorship program in Chicago, 2020. The Obama Foundation.

Archival images of David Costello Jr. and his family. Courtesy of the Costello family.

Letter to President Barack Obama regarding the death of David Costello Jr., 2014. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

Senate remarks on background checks by Senate, 2016. Harry Reid. C-SPAN.

The U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C . Getty Images.

President Barack Obama signs executive actions on gun violence prevention, Washington, D.C., 2013. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama meets with law enforcement and community leaders to discuss public safety, Camden, NJ, 2015. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama participates in a roundtable discussion on climate change and public health at the Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C., 2015. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama talks with students and law enforcement officials about community relations and programs that build trust between youth and the police, at the Salvation Army Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Camden, NJ, 2015. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama greets the family of Reverend Clementa Pinckney who was killed in the 2015 Charleston church shooting after delivering remarks on gun violence in the East Room of the White House, Washington, D.C., 2016. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

President Barack Obama responds to letters from young people about gun violence, 2013. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

Police and emergency response following the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL, 2016. Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

President Barack Obama delivers a statement on the Pulse nightclub shooting, 2016. National Archives, Obama Presidential Library.

FBI agents investigate the damaged rear wall of the Pulse Nightclub, site of a mass shotting in Orlando, FL, 2016. Joe Raedle/Getty Images.

Vigil in Los Angeles for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL., 2016. David McNew/Getty Images.

Police cars surround the Pulse Nightclub, scene of the mass shooting in Orlando, FL, 2016. AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack.

Orlando, Florida police provide an update on the investigation into the Pulse Nightclub shooting, 2016. AP. 

Emergency personnel near the Pulse Nightclub, Orlando, FL, 2016. AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack.

Surgeons speak to a journalist about the bodily damage to victims in the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Orlando, FL, 2016. CBS Archive/Veritone.

Interior view of damage at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL, 2016. City of Orlando. 

Mina Justice speaks to a journalist about her son Eddie, a victim in the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Orlando, FL, 2016. CBS Archive/Veritone.

A memorial outside of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for the mass shooting victims at the Pulse Nightclub, Orlando, FL. 2016. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images.

Memorial displays for the victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Orlando, FL, 2016. Reuters. 

Neighborhood of the Pulse Nightclub, Orlando, FL, 2016. AFPTV via Getty Images.

News coverage months following the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL, 2016. . Courtesy of ABCNEWS VIDEOSOURCE.

Memorials outside of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in honor of victims of the Pulse Nightclub mass shooting in Orlando, FL, 2016. Nexstar - WGN, Chicago/Getty images.

A Pulse Nightclub shooting survivor tells his story, 2016. WESH-TV Orlando, All Rights Reserved.

A Pulse Nightclub shooting survivor writes a message on a memorial wall, Orlando, FL, 2017. AP Photo/John Raoux.

Funeral for a victim of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, Orlando, FL, 2016. CBS Archive/Veritone.

Anti-gay protesters near a funeral for a Pulse Nightclub shooting victim, Orlando, FL, 2016. CBS Archive/Veritone.

Funeral for a Pulse Nightclub shooting victim, Orlando, FL, 2016. AP Photo/David Goldman.

People gathered for a memorial event on the one-year anniversary of the Pulse Nightclub shooting, 2017. CBS Archive/Veritone.

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